


right from the start i knew that i'd found a home for my heart

by winter_bunny



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Break Up, Getting to Know Each Other, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Weddings, everything is going to be okay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-21
Updated: 2018-12-19
Packaged: 2019-08-05 10:49:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16366436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/winter_bunny/pseuds/winter_bunny
Summary: Robb thought for a moment and looked at the glass of vodka in his hand. He took another sip, the ice cubes clinking in the glass. Sansa followed his gaze and frowned even more. "It's Tuesday, why are you drinking during the week? You've never done this before and-""Theon and I broke up." He cut her off."Wha- You broke up? No- Why? Robb, but I thought-""Yes, I thought that too. But that whole long distance shit didn't quite work out for us..."





	1. the day we met

**November 2013**

 

He sat at the kitchen table, lights turned out, a glass of vodka (plain, with three ice cubes) in his right hand and the half full bottle right next to it. He wasn’t in the mood for turning the lights on, right now he preferred to sit in the faint darkness. He could only see some blurred outlines with his swollen eyes.

The only source of light was the shimmering moonlight shining through the big window that led towards the street. It was nearly 7pm and almost completely dark outside.

He heard the noises of the front door getting opened and closed, a pair of shoes being tossed into the corner of the hallway and then someone stumbling barefooted towards the kitchen.

“Ouch… Fuck…” he heard as the person's toe hit the door frame. The person then turned on the light in the kitchen and almost jumped by the sight of someone sitting at the kitchen table in the dark.

"Gods, Robb..." his sister said, obviously relieved that he wasn’t some burglar in their shared apartment. "Why are you sitting here in the dark? Alone... You gave me quite a turn..."

She threw her purse on the kitchen counter and took a better look at him. She began to frown as she saw the expression on his face. He looked awful, his eyes were red and swollen, his cheeks wet and his hair a mess of auburn curls, even messier than usual. Something really bad had happened. There was no need for him to tell her, she’d been able to read him like a book even when he tried to keep a straight face. This time even a stranger would have seen that he was far from being okay.

"What happened?" she asked concerned, her relieve fading at once, as she sat down on the chair opposite him.

Robb thought for a moment and looked at the glass of vodka in his hand. He took another sip, the ice cubes clinking in the glass. Sansa followed his gaze and frowned even more. "Is this Vodka, Robb? t's Tuesday, why are you drinking during the week? When did you start to drink hard alcohol during the week? You've never done this before and-"

"Theon and I broke up." He cut her off.

"Wha- You broke up? No- Why? Robb, but I thought-"

"Yes, I thought that too. But that whole long distance shit didn't quite work out for us..."

Sansa reached out for his hand and squeezed it gently. "Oh Robb, I'm so sorry..." she said softly.

"Yeah, me too… We still love each other and- I really, really wanted this to work out, you know... But- but this is for the best-" he choked and the tears began to run down his cheeks again.

 

\---

 

Robb had met Theon on the day of Jon's and Ygritte's wedding. Jon, his cousin who had grown up with him, had asked Robb to be his best man and he had gladly accepted with the words "I'll be the best best man that has ever best man-ed, you'll see".

The wedding day had been a lovely day and the wedding ceremony had been even lovelier. Jon and Ygritte had both looked stunning in their suit and wedding gown. Robb would have never thought to see Ygritte in a dress let alone a wedding gown with silk and lace. It had looked as if it had been made especially for her, the look of her left most of the guests speechless.

Robb was happy for them, they were such a cute couple and they seemed to be made for each other. The look Jon had given Ygritte as she was walked down the aisle by her surrogate father… Jon had looked at her as if she was the only person in the world worth being looked at. That thought still made Robb smile.

The celebration after the wedding reception had taken place in the Stark family garden. What Catelyn and Sansa had mounted with the garden had been amazing. It had looked wonderful, like a wedding location in one of those magazines. And that the sun had been shining and that there hadn’t been a single cloud had made that day even more perfect.

 

\---

 

Despite their break-up Robb still loved to think about their first encounter and how their relationship had progressed.

 

\--- 

_**Earlier that year – June 2013** _

 

_“Looking for some hot bridesmaid?” a voice asked curiously as Robb stood a little apart from everyone. He turned around and saw the man he’d had eye contact with earlier that day standing next to him. Now that Robb could take a better look at him, he realized that he was far more attractive than he’d thought at first sight._

_He was tall, a little taller than Robb himself, with a slender build and charcoal black hair that he had casually put up into a bun. His dark eyes looked straightly at Robb as he held out a glass of champagne towards him. "I hope you like champagne."  
_

_Robb considered for a moment and then took it. He raised his glass towards the stranger before taking a sip._

_“Nope. Rather for some hot best man… But since I am Jon’s best man and the only male single around here- the cards are stacked against me...”_

_The man raised an eyebrow._

_“What?” Robb asked amused and the corners of his lips started to curl up as he saw the expression on the other man’s face._

_The beautiful lips of the stranger began to curl into smirk too and he shook his head slightly. “Nothing.”_

_They stood there in silence for a while just watching the wedding society having a good time. Then the man turned around towards Robb; he had obviously decided to finally introduce himself. “I’m Theon, by the way.” He said in a casual voice._

_“Robb.” Robb said in return. “Pleased to meet you.”_

_“Pleased to meet you too... Do you want to hear my opinion?”_

_“Your opinion on what?”_

_“That best man, only male single, thing.”_

_Robb didn’t know what to say and didn’t quite catch what the man, Theon, was about to get at and just threw him a confused look. He raised his eyebrows._

_“I just think that every male, single or not, could be lucky to have you looking for them.” Theon said as he returned his look towards the other guests._

_Robb blushed. It took him a few seconds until he found his voice again._

_“Are you trying to hit on me? In that case I have to tell you- I’m not looking for something serious right now.” Robb declared, taking another sip from his champagne._

_“I’m just saying… So, how about this?” Theon began. “We spend the evening together, enjoying each other’s company and then never see each other again?”_

_Robb thought for a moment and looked up to the darkening sky. “Yeah, why not?”_

_They walked around the garden. Robb showed Theon the swimming pond where Theon suggested to go skinny-dipping but Robb refused with the explanation that it wouldn’t be quite appropriate with the wedding guests nearby. They sat on the swing set for a while, just talking until Robb led Theon inside to the living room where Theon immediately sat down at the piano and began to play._

_It was slightly untuned and Robb made a face at some off-key notes._

_“You play the piano?”_

_Theon began to smirk again (which probably made Robb's heart skip a beat) and threw him an amused look. “Well observed, Sherlock Holmes. My mother taught me when I was younger…”_

_“I wish it was tuned properly.”_

_“So, who of your family plays the piano?”_

_“My mother used to… And Sansa too, when she was younger…”_

_“Sansa is your sister, I guess.”_

_“Yup, she’s two years younger than me… Then there’s Bran and Arya and Rickon is the youngest, but no one of us has ever showed interest in playing the piano, too.” Robb explained as he walked over and sat down next to Theon._

_They kept sitting there for a while, Robb just listening while Theon played. Despite the piano being untuned Robb loved listening to Theon play it._

_“Do you want to have another drink before Jon and our friends have emptied everything?” Robb asked after Theon had finished the piece._

_He shrugged. “Yeah, why not?”_

_They got up and went outside to the bar again. Robb ordered another two glasses of champagne._

_“Cheers.”_

_“Cheers.”_

_They raised their glasses and as they both took a sip, they looked each other deep in the eyes. Robb felt his cheeks getting hot and his heart beating faster under Theon’s dark eyed gaze._

_He took a step forward but Theon stopped him by putting his free hand on his chest. Theon smiled at him, an honest smile. “No.” he leaned a little forward and said quietly “That would most likely ruin our agreement, don’t you think? And besides- you know what is even better than a kiss?”_

_With any other person Robb would have felt stupid and embarrassed, but not with Theon. They definitively had a connection. He just shook his head._

_“The moment before a kiss.”_

_Robb chuckled. “Seriously?”_

_“Don’t you think so?” Theon raised an eyebrow._

_“No- no, I mean… This sounds so sappy… But now that I think of it, you’re probably right.”_

_Theon’s smile got wider and he raised his hand to clink their glasses again. “I’m always right.”_

_“I just wouldn’t have picked you for a romantic.” Robb said with a smile._

_Theon winked at him. "Well, sometimes the first impression is deceptive."_

_They continued talking about anything and everything and at some point they realized that they were pretty much the only people still outside at the bar, the other guest had already gone inside and the caterers had begun to clear up the food. Robb followed Theon’s gaze as he watched them carrying the plates and everything towards the van. Theon and Robb had been so deep in conversation that they hadn’t even noticed how late it had become._

_“So, this is it.” Theon said with a little sad undertone in his voice._

_“Yeah, seems so.” Robb kind of felt sad too. He couldn’t place the feeling, it was some kind of sadness mixed with disappointment and anger because of their agreement on not seeing each other again after this evening. Now that they had gotten to know each other a little, Robb would really like to get to know Theon even better. He was about to ask for his number as Theon placed his index finger on his lips. “Ssshh.”_

_Robb just stared at him. And again there was this incredibly intense eye contact._

_“Close your eyes.” Theon whispered and leaned in._

_Robb followed his orders; he thought that his chest would burst- this was what he’d been waiting for since Theon had finished the piano piece in the Stark living room._

_He expected to feel Theon’s lips on his but nothing happened. He opened his eyes slowly again and realized that Theon was gone._

_“What the-?” he looked around but the other man was nowhere to be seen.“Fucking asshole.”  Robb mumbled angrily as he placed his empty glass on the counter. He looked at the barkeeper to order another glass of champagne or probably something stronger as he noticed a folded napkin lying next to his glass._

_Robb took the napkin, unfolded it and saw that it was a note for him._

_‘Robb- despite our agreement I would really like to get to know you better, just call – Theon’_

_A phone number was written under that._

_"What does that retarded grin on your face mean?” Jon asked as he approached Robb and put an arm around his shoulder._

_“Nothing.” Robb said immediately, probably a little too fast, and tried to put the napkin into his pocket. “It was a wonderful day, Jon, I am so happy for you.”_

_“Yeah, it really was. You have no idea how lucky and happy I am right now.” He said with a loving smile as he thought about his bride. “But don’t change the topic.” Jon grinned cheekily and reached for the napkin. “What do we have here?”_

_“Nothing, Jon.” Robb’s voice got sterner, but it was too late. Jon had already gotten hold of the napkin and began to read. When he looked back at Robb’s face, it had gotten the color of a lobster and a bright smile spread on Jon’s otherwise so serious face. “Who is Theon?”_

_“This is none of your business.” Robb said as his face and ears turned red and he reached for the napkin again but Jon held it out of his reach._

_“Tell me and I’ll give it back to you.”_

_Robb sighed unnerved and rolled his eyes. “He’s someone I met this afternoon, ok? Nothing more.”_

_Jon still had that stupid smile on his face as he handed Robb the napkin back. “Oh…” his smile got wider as he saw that Robb’s face was still red from embarrassment. “I thought you weren’t looking for someone right now … Anyway, as you said, you were the best best man I could have imagined, Robb. And now I have to go look for my wife.”_

_He petted Robb’s shoulder and turned around._

_Robb took another happy look at Theon’s note before putting it into the pocket of his pants. He looked at the bartender and ordered another glass of champagne._

_He stood there at the bar, drinking his night cap and smiling happily while he thought of Theon. It’s like they say, you usually find someone, probably THE one, when you’re not looking for it. He didn’t want to seem all too desperate and decided to call or text him the next day. But he couldn’t help but to pull the napkin out again to look at Theon’s handwriting. Robb smiled at it and put it finally back into his pocket as he emptied his glass, placed it on the counter and went inside to go to bed._

_His mother had arranged his old room for him. Robb got out of his suit in the bathroom, folded it neatly and placed it on the cabinet. He went back to his room and fell asleep almost as soon as his body touched the mattress._

_Robb woke up the next morning when the first beam of light fell through the window. He yawned and stretched as the thought of Theon and the napkin came back to his mind._

_He almost jumped out of his old bed and looked around, searching for his phone. It was on his nightstand. He grabbed it immediately to check the time. It was 9.18 am, not too early to get in touch with Theon. He went to the bathroom to pick the napkin. He looked at the cabinet but it was empty. He was a hundred percent sure that he had placed his suit on it the previous night. “What the-“_

_He put shorts and an old hoodie on and went down barefooted to the kitchen where his parents and oldest sister were sitting at the kitchen table having breakfast._

_“Good morning, darling.” His mother smiled at him. “Sit down, do you want some coffee?”_

_“Yes, thanks, mom. Huh, have you seen my suit? I’m pretty sure that I placed it on the cabinet in the bathroom-” he asked as a sense of foreboding spread in his chest._

_“Oh, yes, I put it into the laundry.” Sansa answered his question for their mother, a proud smile on her face. “You were asleep and I wanted to do you a favor, so… If you wait until the afternoon you can take it back with you.”_

_Robb’s face fell. “Gods, Sansa… That suit is for dry cleaning only… Please tell me, that you at least emptied the pockets before you put it in the laundry.”_

_Sansa blushed and Catelyn just gave her a stern look. “Sansa, how often do I have to tell you that… You need to empty the pockets before you put it into the washing machine… If there’s a tissue or anything inside, it will probably get tatty and cover your clothes with pieces of it…”_

_“I’m so so sorry, Robb… I’ll totally buy you a new suite if this one’s suffered…”_

_‘This can’t be true.’ Robb thought and wanted to kick himself for not taking the napkin from his pocket before he had undressed himself._

_Robb couldn't help himself. Each time he wasn't busy with something his mind kept wandering to Theon._

_He still damned himself for being such an idiot for leaving the napkin in his pocket. On the other hand, who would have thought that Sansa would try to be the perfect housewife and do the laundry for the whole family that morning. He should have asked for Theon’s number when he'd had the chance to._

 

_Two days after the wedding Robb sat in his parent's kitchen, together with his and Jon’s old friend Jon Umber. There had been so much wedding cake left over that Catelyn still invited their friends over for coffee._

_"You should stop whining about it, Stark.” The Smalljon, how his closest friends called him, said while he was enjoying the cake._ _“By the way, this cake is… I have no words for it, it’s probably the best cake I’ve ever had…”_

_“Shut up. It’s not my fault, so I have every right to complain…”_

_“I’m sure that Sansa didn’t mean to-“_

_“Of course she didn’t, I know that. I’m not even angry with her, not really at least…” Robb cut him off. “Anyway…”_

_“Why don’t you ask Ygritte." the Smalljon suggested suddenly. "She is the bride, I mean, if she doesn't know that guy-"_

_"That's a brilliant idea. Sometimes I believe that you’re not totally useless…" Robb nodded and hit his own brow with his flat hand. “Why didn’t I bethink that?” And with a smile towards his friend, he reached for his phone. He flicked through his contacts until he found Ygritte's number and dialed. She picked up soon after._

_"Hey Robb, my dear cousin-in-law, what can I do for you on this lovely day?"_

_"Hi Ygritte… Wow, you sound pretty happy, Jon benefits you obviously.” He chuckled. “How's the married life going?"_

_"Fine, fine, Snow's a wonderful husband, really. He knows some things after all." he could hear her smile through the phone. "But that's not the reason you're calling, I assume?"_

_Robb beat around the bush for a moment. "Actually... no, I called because- you know, there was a guy at your wedding and uhm, I couldn't ask for his number, so I wondered-"_

_"-if I could give it to you?" she laughed her signature laugh. "What's his name?"_

_"You're amazing, Ygritte, thank you... His name's Theon."_

_Robb could hear Jon talking in the background while Ygritte was silent. Then after a few moments she began to speak again. "I'm really sorry, Robb, but I'm pretty sure that I know every guest and their plus ones and- there's no one called Theon. Sorry."_

_"Well, ok, there's no need to be sorry... Thank you anyway... Have a nice evening, Ygritte, and say Hi to Jon. Bye."_

_"I'm sorry anyway, bye."_

_And the call was over. Robb put his phone back on the table and grabbed his cup to finish his coffee with a frown._

_“No success?” the Smalljon asked._

_Robb just shook his head as suddenly the door flew open and his brothers Bran and Rickon entered the room._

_Rickon immediately darted towards the Smalljon and jumped on his lap. "Hey, Uncle Smalljon-"_

_"Rickon, how often do I have to tell you- Stop calling me Uncle Smalljon."_

_"Alright, Uncle Smalljon-" Rickon laughed cheekily and soon after they were wrestling playfully on the kitchen floor._

_Bran rolled his wheelchair next to Robb and looked him straight in the eyes._

_"What's up?"_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"You look sad."_

_"Why do I look sad?"_

_Bran raised an eyebrow. "Robb, I've known you my entire life. I know your sad face when I see it."_

_"Sometimes I think that you're too smart for your own good." Robb said lovingly as he ruffled Bran's hair._

_Rickon and Smalljon stopped wrestling for a moment and the Smalljon said breathlessly. "Cinderella over there is whining over the guy he met at your cousin’s wedding..."_

_"Thank you, Uncle Smalljon… And he left me a note, not a glass shoe.” Robb said with a glare as he stuck out his tongue. “He's just a guy I met at Jon's wedding and happen to find quite interesting and I would have liked to get to know him better, ok?"_

_"Do you mean the guy with the black suit and the man bun you've been talking to all evening?"_

_"Yes, how-"_

_"He's working for the restaurant where Jon and Ygritte ordered the food, he was one of the guys who brought it here. I was there when they arranged everything."_

_Robb looked stunned and then began to smile._

_"And please, Bran, tell me, you know the name of the restaurant."_

_"Of course." Bran said as he returned Robb’s bright smile. "It's 'The Onion Knight'... And you're welcome."_

_Robb stood up, grabbed Bran’s head and placed a kiss on it. “You’re the best, Bran.”_

_“Ew, gross…” Rickon chuckled towards his older brothers. “You were kissed by your brother, Bran." he made a face. "And now you certainly have his spit on your hair.”_

_Later that evening Robb entered the restaurant called 'The Onion Knight'. He had found the address after a short research on Google and he was surprised that it wasn’t that far away from his family’s house. It wasn't a big restaurant, more of an insiders’ tip and it had its own small bar in the entrance hall. He was joined by the Smalljon, who was too curious to stay away, and his sister Sansa, who still felt guilty for ruining the napkin. At least Robb could persuade them to stay outside in the car. Robb was totally aware that they would never follow that order and as he looked out of the floor leveled windows he saw them standing there. The Smalljon was almost two heads taller than Sansa, both were waving, their noses almost pressed to the glass in anticipation. He tried to shoo them away by gesturing with his hands but they kept standing there, watching him curiously with wide smiles on their faces._

_Robb sighed. He stood there, being unsure about what to do next and trying to work out what he would say when he met Theon again. He looked around as a waiter approached him to show him to a table._

_He was already about to ask for Theon as he saw him standing behind the bar. He was busy pouring several liquids into the cocktail shaker, a concentrated frown on his face and Robb thought that he looked rater cute with that expression. Theon soon lifted his head and looked around towards the entrance and as his eyes fell on Robb. He placed the bottles back on the counter and began to smile brightly. He left his place behind the bar immediately, the guest sitting at the bar and waiting for his drink was completely forgotten, and Theon walked straightly towards Robb._

_"Gods, what took you so long?" Theon said with shining eyes as he grabbed the front of Robb's shirt and yanked him forward into a kiss._

_Robb began to smile as he kissed Theon back, put his arms around his waist and took a step forward to be closer to him._


	2. frozen i held my breath

**Chapter 2: frozen i held my breath**

 

**September 2013**

 

It was Friday afternoon and Robb had only intended to take a short afternoon nap but instead he had fallen so fast asleep that he didn’t wake up until Theon ‘s shift was over. He was finally woken up by the creaking of his room’s door.  He stretched his arms while he turned around to lie on his back. “How was your day, sweetheart?” Robb asked yawning as Theon crawled on top of him.

Robb hadn’t even noticed that Theon had entered his apartment and had already taken a shower in the bathroom that was actually directly next to his bedroom. He shook his head lightly at the water drops that fell on his face from Theon’s wet hair. Theon shook his head a little more so that there was now even more water on Robb’s face and Robb wrinkled his nose.

“Stop that.” He said and put his arms around Theon’s waist and flipped him over so that he was on top now.

“You’re getting heavy, babe.” Theon teased with one of his insolent smirks on his face as Robb put his whole weight on him. Robb had never been someone who had to watch his weight but Theon’s cooking skills were outstanding. “Anyway, my day was a little exhausting… Being the new sous chef can be a little stressful from time to time.” He said with a pleased smile.

“Oh, come on, you love that.” Robb knew that Theon loved his job dearly, not only the cooking part but also working at the bar and that he was really good at it. And his promotion to sous chef only showed how much his boss trusted him.

“Are you calling me fat?!” Robb asked with a pout.

Theon’s smirk turned into a smile and he leaned up on his elbows to place a kiss on his neck. “Nuts. I was just teasing. You’re perfect the way you are.”

Robb smiled back at him. “Do we have any plans for tonight?”

“Huh, no, I’m up for suggestions.”

Robb thought for a moment. “We could go to the bar?”

“I haven’t had dinner yet.” Theon stated.

“So? We can eat there. You said yourself that the lasagna is pretty good.”

Theon laughed. “Yes, it is. Not as good as mine though. Anyway, let’s go to the same bar we’ve been hanging around almost every day since we started dating?”

Robb sat back on his heels. “It’s a nice bar, homelike almost. You said you like it there-“

“I do. And that it’s your uncle’s bar is pretty practical, too, isn’t it?”

Robb ignored his last comment and leaned forward to place a kiss on the corner of Theon’s mouth.

“- and the others will most likely be there too. The Smalljon for sure-“

“I still don’t get why that guy is called ‘Smalljon’… I mean, there’s nothing small about him, he’s certainly over 6‘6“ tall.“

Robb sighed. “I’ve told you, he’s called the Smalljon because he is the son of the Greatjon…”

Theon raised an eyebrow, he didn’t seem convinced. “It figures. It’s a deal then, let’s get ready and go to the bar. Anyway, who besides you is in bed on Friday afternoon at 5 pm?”

“Shut up, I AM ready- And you’re using the word ‘anyway’ way too much.”

“You shut up… I can see that you’re ready…  Who else sleeps in jeans, it’s totally uncomfortable.” Theon interrupted him.

“I was too tired to take my clothes of.” Robb said as he looked at his boyfriend in front of him with a sly smirk.

“Poor baby.” Theon whispered as he caught Robb unaware and flipped him over again. He leaned down and started to place soft kisses on Robb’s neck.

Robb chuckled lightly. “You’re the one who needs to get dressed. Or do you want to go there in boxers?”

 

Twenty minutes later they entered the Wolf’s Den and as Robb had predicted, the Smalljon, accompanied by Torrhen and Harrion Karstark, was already there sitting at their regulars’ table.

They raised their glasses as they saw them.

Theon placed a kiss on Robb’s cheek. “Sit down, I’ll get the drinks. Beer or Gin Tonic? Or something else?”

“I’ll take a Gin Tonic tonight, with a slice of cucumber please.” Robb said and walked towards the others.

“You guys are too cute.” The Smalljon said and took another sip from his beer. “It’s disgusting, stop that.” He laughed and winked at Robb.

“Fuck off.” Robb snapped back playfully.

Theon joined them five minutes later with a Gin Tonic for Robb and a Whiskey Sour for himself. They talked about their plans for the rest of the weekend and which party they would attend on Halloween, even if there were another six weeks until that.

“I can’t believe that you’re still so into that whole Halloween stuff.” The Smalljon said and shook his head after Robb had told him about the decoration and costumes.

“Shut up, Halloween is the greatest holiday.”

“He’s right, this is the greatest thing in the Stark family, almost bigger than Christmas.” Another voice said. They turned around and saw Jon and Ygritte, holding hands, coming over to their table. “Scoot over.” Jon said and Theon moved closer to Robb so the three of them could sit on the bench while Ygritte sat down on the chair next to Jon.

 

Twenty minutes later Robb could hear Theon’s phone ringing in his pocket. He gave him a nodge to his side and nodded towards it. “Aren’t you going to answer that?”

“What? Oh-“ Theon pulled his phone from his pocket and looked who was calling him. He frowned as he watched the display and started to get up. “Sorry, but I have to answer that. Would you please-”

Robb nodded and got up so that Theon could go outside to answer the call. He looked after him with a bright smile on his face.

“Gods, Stark, it’s almost disgusting how much in love you’re with him.” Torrhen Karstark remarked.

“Yes, we can literally see the hearts in your eyes.” His brother Harrion added.

“Shut up.” Robb snapped but couldn’t stop smiling.

Theon returned a few minutes later with an unreadable expression on his face, he had his phone already shoved back into his pocket.

“Who was that?” Robb asked.

“Later.” Theon answered shortly, not looking at Robb.

Robb shrugged and called the waitress over for another round.

 

 

“You’ve been unusually quiet since you came back from answering that call.” Robb remarked as they stood in the bathroom next to each other, brushing their teeth.

Theon didn’t answer right away, he looked absentmindedly into the sink as he kept brushing his teeth. He turned the water on and leaned down slowly to rinse out his mouth and Robb knew that he obviously tried to play out time. He straightened his back and whipped his mouth with one of the towels hanging next to the sink.

“What’s up?” Theon’s weird behavior started to trouble Robb. Sure, Theon had his quirks too, but since they had begun dating he had never acted like this.

Finally Theon’s eyes met Robb’s. He cleared his throat and said in an unusually serious voice. “We need to talk.”

“That doesn’t sound good.” Robb said frowning. “Are we going to discuss the matter here or should we go to the kitchen, livingroom-“

“We should go to the kitchen.” It had probably something to do with his work because Theon seemed to feel the most comfortable in that room.

Theon went to the fridge and grabbed two cans of coke from it. He handed one to Robb before he sat down at the kitchen table. They opened their cans in silence and placed them on the table. Robb took the chair across from Theon, he leaned back against it and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

“Are you finally going to tell me what’s going on?”

Theon sighed and rubbed his face with both hands. “That’s hard.”

“Please, don’t tell me you’re cheating on me?!” Robb said in a harsh voice. They actually never had a discussion about being exclusive but he had just expected it.

Theon raised his head immediately and looked straight at Robb’s face. “No, it’s not that. Why would I cheat on you? You’re perfect.”

That calmed Robb down a bit. “What is it then? Who called you earlier?”

“You know, before I met you, I submitted an application for a fellowship at a culinary institute... I never thought that they would accept me and they didn’t. I got the negative reply a few weeks ago…” he paused for a moment and took a sip from his coke. He bit his lip before he continued. “That caller earlier was one of the chairpersons of the application committee. He told me that one of their applicants cancelled his fellowship and now, well, I am the first replacement…”

“That’s all?” Robb laughed relieved. “This is why you’ve been acting so strange?” he got up from his chair and walked around the table. He grabbed Theon’s face with his hands and pulled him up into a kiss. “But that’s awesome, I guess that this is a unique chance, isn’t it?”

Theon obviously didn’t share Robb’s enthusiasm. Robb frowned and let go of Theon’s face. “You aren’t happy about it?”

Theon remained silent for another moment. “The thing is… I was alone when I sent that application- and now I have you.” He looked up at Robb with a sad smile. “The culinary institute is the ‘Great Grass Sea Culinary School’ in Meereen and I would be studying under Chef Drogo.”

Robb couldn’t see his point. “Meereen? Never heard of that.”

“Geography wasn’t your favorite subject at school, was it?” Theon asked with a weak smile. “Meereen, well, it’s in Essos, in Slaver’s Bay to be exact…”

Robb’s face fell, now he could see Theon’s point. “Essos?”

“Yes, Essos.”

“Essos as in Essos across the Narrow Sea?”

“That very Essos.” Theon nodded slowly.

Robb scratched the back of his head. “That’s far away.”

“Very far.”

“When would that fellowship start?”

Theon bit his lip again. “October, 1st.” he said in a low voice.

“October, 1st ?” Robb didn’t know what else to say. October, 1st. That was only two weeks from then on. And Essos wasn’t just around the corner, this was another continent.

“What did you tell them? What was you answer?”

“I told them that I need time to think about it. They expect my reply tomorrow afternoon.”

Robb turned around and leaned down on his hands on the counter. He straightened his back again and this time it was him who rubbed his face with his hands. He heard how Theon got up from his chair and stepped right behind him. He put his arms tightly around Robb’s waist and leaned his forehead against the back of Robb’s head.

“I don’t know what to do.” He whispered into Robb’s auburn curls. “I don’t want to leave you. I know that we’ve only dated for about three months but-” he nuzzled the back of Robb’s neck. “- I love you, Robb.”

Robb turned around to look at his face with a soft smile.

“You said it yourself, this is a unique chance. You have to go.” He said encouragingly and raised a hand to cup Theon’s cheek. He stroked it softly with his thumb. “And you won’t be away forever. How long does that fellowship take?”

Theon looked unsure, bit his lip again and avoided Robb’s gaze. “That’s another point. It takes at least three and a half years. Depends…”

Robb swallowed. This information was too much. “Let’s go to bed. We’ll take counsel with our pillowas and we’ll discuss this tomorrow at breakfast. What do you say?”

“We may just as well discuss this right now because I won’t be able to sleep anyway.”

“I think you should go.” He grabbed Theon’s chin softly to make him look at him again and placed a small kiss on his lips. “I love you, too, and I’m sure we can work this out. We’ll make this work. If other people can make long distance relationships work, we can do, too.”

“Come on, be serious. This whole long distance shit NEVER works out.” Theon mumbled and turned away from Robb.

“That’s it?” Robb asked in disbelief. “You give up on us? Just like that? You’ll accept that fellowship and disappear to Essos for three and a half years? Is this what you want?”

Theon turned around and Robb could see the anger on his face. “No, Robb, this is not what I want. If I wanted that, I would have accepted the fellowship and we wouldn’t stand here right now discussing this. I would have ended things with you without telling you why because I’d be gone in two weeks anyway.”

“What are we supposed to do then?”

“I meant what I said, I love you and I don’t want to leave you.”

“But this is also about your career and I know how important that is for you.”

“You’re important for me, too.”

“Look, you’ll call that chairperson tomorrow and you’ll tell him that you’re accepting his offer.” Robb said, stepped forward and took Theon’s hands in his own. “We’ll make the best of the two weeks we have together and when you leave for Meereen, we’ll stay together. I love you and I want to be with you, no matter where you live and how far away Meereen is. And it’s just three and a half year, this is nothing compared to the rest of our lives together.” He smiled at him encouragingly and kissed his forehead. “We’ll make this work, Theon. Okay?”

A small smile spread on Theon’s face. “Okay.”

 

_Sad to say, their long distance relationship didn’t work out in the end.  
_

**Author's Note:**

> Title and chapter titles are from Christina Perri's 'A Thousand Years'. I love that song :)


End file.
